now that all of the pieces are created. It’s time to look for subtle threads (literally & figuratively) that unite the collection. I love this part almost as much as pizza & champagne when we’re all done. I really like that part. Elizabeth Bunsen’s dyed fabric, my work in scrap leather and photography and Jane Frank’s jewelry is telling a story just as we had hoped from the beginning. Storytelling through this collaborative work is maybe the best part of the whole shootin’ match in my estimation.
The details are details. They make the product.
The connections, the connections, the connections. It will in the end be these details that give the product its life.
This Friday and Saturday I’m part of a TRUNK SHOW at VINTAGE INSPIRED in Burlington, Vermont with 6 very talented women. We call ourselves, “LEVITY seven”. We meet every few weeks over coffee in one of our studios or homes and talk about the issues of running small businesses. Sometimes we stay on topic and often we talk about what’s happening in our creative lives.
“Without some occasional levity,
the working environment is not better than a sweatshop.”
What an amazing group of women to spend time with and learn from their collective experience. Having LEVITY in our group name reflects that we don’t want to pile more pressure on each other to do more than we already are, but rather reflects our level of encouragement and collaboration…with a healthy dose of humor.
Our group includes mostly Germans…two women are jewelers, one a fused glass artist and a garden designer. There are also a few very talented American women—a contemporary painter and the owner of CB Sacks—a Burlington company that makes beautiful bags out of coffee sacks from around the world.
Here’s what I’m preparing for the TRUNK SHOW…bracelets, pendants, a few paintings, hand-painted shoes and a few paintings. I’m not a terribly skilled salesperson. It just doesn’t come very naturally to me—so if you come to our TRUNK SHOW I’ll be the one showing the merits and creativity of my friend’s work.
Please stop by if you’re in the Burlington, Vermont area.
